Mid market CLO round-up: Antares leads the way as triple As price at 125bp
Although US mid-market CLOs had a slow start to the year, the last two weeks have seen heightened activity in this sector with established players such as Antares Capital, Cerberus Capital Management, Fortress Investments and Midcap Financial pricing new CLOs

Allocations to fixed income leap but private debt shrinks under new pension fund plan
The City of San Jose Police & Fire Retirement Plan is considering a new investment strategy that would reduce its private debt allocation, according to documents seen by Creditflux

Direct lenders pile into "turbocharged" market as fundraising skyrockets: report
Growth in the direct lending market in the 12 months to 31 December was “turbocharged,” growing robustly in the fourth quarter 2017 in particular due to a consistently growing Eurozone economy, according to Deloitte

Private equity firm hits target size with $170 million for its first credit fund
Technology-focused private equity firm Accel-KKR has raised $170 million – and hit the total offering amount – for its series 1 Credit Partners fund, which appears to be a direct lending strategy

Pennsylvania pension fund to commit €150 million to direct lending
The Public School Employees’ Retirement Board has recommended a €150 million investment in Intermediate Capital Group's ICG Europe VII fund

Which flavour do you favour?
We asked four direct lenders for their opinions on four fictional European borrowers operating in software, food, consumer loans and retail – and found they had similar tastes.

Owl Rock BDC assets swell by $1.26 billion in 12 months
Owl Rock’s first business development company has increased its total assets by $1.26 billion and its net assets by $790 million in over just one year, filings indicate

FS Investment BDC's assets shrink for fifth year running
FS Investment Corporation, an FS Investments business development company (BDC), failed to grow its assets again in 2017 – but insists its recently announced partnership with KKR will allow it to grow stockholder value

Canadian asset manager acquires Asian private credit specialist Clearwater
In a bid to gain entry to the Asian private credit market, Canadian investment firm Fiera Capital Corporation has acquired Asian credit specialist Clearwater Capital Partners

Credit specialist poaches Goldman Sach's Eric Muller in New York
Credit specialist Oak Hill Advisors has hired New York-based Eric Muller from Goldman Sachs Group, according to a market source

Charlotte direct lender taps former BAML specialist for chief risk officer role
Capitala Group has hired Peter Sherman as chief risk officer, the North Carolina-based direct lender has announced

Minnesota pension fund looks to commit $535 million to 'private credit'
Minnesota State Board of Investments has recommended investments worth $535 million to private credit, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux

European direct lender seeks €2.5 billion for new Luxembourg-based debt fund
London-based direct lender Pemberton is launching a new debt fund that will invest in mid-market European companies, Creditflux has learned

AUM drops but Oaktree dubs 2017 a "strong" year
Alternative investment specialist Oaktree Capital Management has reported a slight decrease in assets under management for the year of 2017 – but the Los Angeles-based firm’s chief executive described the year as a “strong” one for the company

Energy PE firm Orion closes second credit opps fund at $816 million
Orion Energy Partners, a private equity firm providing capital solutions to mid-market energy infrastructure businesses, has closed its second credit opportunity fund at $816 million

Patrimonium's Heine reveals what it takes to be a direct lender in Germany
Europe’s middle market lending community this week heard just how gruelling a job it is to source deals in Germany. Heine answered a number of important questions such as, "how many beers does it take for a sourcing manager to make it through one year?"

Aberdeen Standard Investments launches global private markets fund
Aberdeen Standard Investments has launched a £138 million Global Private Markets Fund (GPMF), which will invest in a diversified mix of private credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure

Monroe's new CLO suggests increasing demand for mid market deals
The basis between middle market CLOs and CLOs backed by broadly syndicated loans is (slowly) shrinking

Alcentra launches third direct lending fund
A year on from closing its second direct lending fund, Alcentra is understood to be marketing fund three in its direct lending series

West coast manager closes $1.9 billion direct lending fund
Alternative investment manager Tennenbaum Capital Partners has held a final close of its eighth direct lending fund, TCP Direct Lending Fund VIII, with more than $1.9 billion of capital commitments

US mid-market earnings grow 12.8% in Q4 2017, up from 4.9% in Q3
Earnings in the US middle market grew by 12.8% in fourth quarter 2017, while overall revenue grew by 11.5% during September and October 2017, according to a Golub report

Crestline targets up to $500 million for new portfolio financing fund
Credit specialist Crestline Investors is launching a new fund to provide financing solutions to mature private equity funds, according to documents seen by Creditflux

European direct lending up 34% in recent quarter: Deloitte report
Direct lending in Europe continues to boom, according to the latest Deloitte deal tracker, which found a 34% growth of direct lending deals in third quarter 2017 alone compared to third quarter 2016

The biggest credit stories in 2017
CLO ramp-up risk, new risk retention proposals and new CLO joint ventures were in the headlines last year. Here, Creditflux reveals the most read stories of 2017

Michigan pension fund commits $570 million to four credit fund managers
The State of Michigan Retirement Systems has revealed commitments of over $570 million to credit funds over Q3 2017, according to board documents